Changing Population Trends

Chapter 9-2Changing Population TrendsOverloading the InfrastructureInfrastructure is the basic facilities and services that support a community, such as public water supplies, sewer lines, power plants, roads, subways, schools, and hospitals.Rapid population growth may strain the infrastructure of a town leading to some major issuesSymptoms of overwhelming includeSuburban sprawl, overcrowded schools, polluted rivers, barren land, inadequate housingResources most directly affected by rapid growth:Vegetation, water and landProblems of Rapid Growth: Fuel

Shortage of Fuelwood In many countries, wood is the primary fuel sourceStable populations use dead wood and fallen branchesGrowing populations may have to cut down trees to have enough fuelFuelwood is necessary for cooking, heating and sterilizing water from pathogensA lack of fuelwood may lead to a spread of disease and malnutritionMany countries dont have the luxury of using solar energy or fossil fuels. For these women, fire wood is the only fuel for cooking and sterilizing drinking water Problems of Rapid Growth: WaterUnsafe water in places were there isnt sufficient infrastructure, the local water may not be potable (drinkable)Water is necessary for not only drinking, but also, washing and sewage disposalStagnant water may be a breeding ground of disease-carrying insects (vectors)Dysentery, typhoid, cholera, malariaIn 2001, over 1 billion people in the world lacked clean drinking waterMore than 3 million died from water-bourn diseases

Cleaning clothes in the same river that cooking water is taken from is common practice in many parts of the world.so is dumping wastes and sewage in the same water.Problems of Rapid Growth: Land

Arable Land land that may be used for farmingSome countries have to make trade-offs between using land for housing or land for foodEgypt has only 4% arable landthe rest is desertAll of the food and main exports come from this 4%, but so does the living space required for the rapidly growing populationUrbanization results when people move to cities for work or livingSuburban sprawl is the result of people living outside the city but commuting in for workLeads to traffic jams, inadequate infrastructure and reduction of land for farms and wildlifeHousing in the city becomes more costly and more scarceSuburban Sprawl (and the effects of) are found in many parts of the world and our country. These areas of high population may have high amounts of air, noise and light pollutionDemographic DiversityDemographers have divided the worlds countries into two categories:Developed NationsDeveloping NationsHowever, demographers may prefer the following terms to identify regions or some countriesMore developedLess developedMany countries do not follow the traditional population pyramidsIn recent years, there has been an international effort (lead by the United Nations) to identify and give aid to the Least developed CountriesThese countries are given priority for foreign aid and development programs to help their population and environmental problems

The countries is Red have been identified by the United Nations as Least Developed Countries Diversity of Growth RatesSome countries have stable populations and growth ratesEurope, United States, Canada, RussiaOther countries still have rapid population growth in less developed regionsMost of the worlds population is found within Asia

The colors correspond to countries and represent how much world growth they are responsible forManaging Development and GrowthIn 1994, the United Nations held the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)The goal was to find ways to manage the relationship between populations, development and the environmentMany countries favor stabilizing population growth through:Investments in womens education and statusInvestments other areas of development and educationResult: Worldwide fertility rates are dropping across the board

Growth is SlowingHooray!

International fertility rates been dropping since the 1970sThe peak was 87 million people born per year between 85 and 90In contrast only 81 million were born per year from 90 to 95Rates are still much higher in developing nations thoughEven still, demographers predict most countries will have fertilities rates right around replacement level by about 2050this is a good thing!This means world population growth would eventually stopDemographers are prudently predicting a medium growth rate (close to replacement level) and a world population of about 9 billion by 2050This graph shows the predicted fertility rate decline as shown by the number of annual births world wide. Demographers are predicting about 40 million births per year in 2050 compared to the ~75 million births per year we are currently experiencingHomework CheckDescribe three problems caused by rapid human population growthAnalyzing a viewpoint: Write a comparison of the pros and cons of the strategies nations have used to reduce population growthAnalyzing Relationships: Do you think that simply changing birth rates will cause a nation to undergo further development?